This evening I went to pay my rent for the house I'll be moving into in September, cos I wouldn't be back in Birmingham until mid-September so I have to pay in advance. I probably haven't mentioned that due to a certain twist of events, I'll be sharing a house with four other guys next year. (If there are any cousins reading this, please hush, I'm not supposed to let my grandma know ok?) Two of them are Singaporeans, one is Russian and one is from Hong Kong.

I couldn't really remember how we got there the last time to sign the contract, so I contacted MIB, one of the Singaporeans. Ya that was his initials on his cheque book, quite cool right. Ok, anyway, when I found out that MIB was planning to pay his rent one of these days I asked him whether I could tag along. And it was good that I did, cos if I didn't I'd probably have walked in circles for dunno how long before I took the right route. At the same time I realised that I'd be staying with two jokers next year, MIB and his Russian course-mate S.

On the way to our landlord's shop, we were about to cross a road when suddenly,
MIB: ey later when we cross the road we have to bend down.
me: ...??? Huh, why? *Looks around quizzically wondering about the lack of any low obstacles over the road*
MIB: elderly, what.
me: o_O *Sees an 'elderly' road sign across the road* Oh!!!!
We both burst out in laughter. After a while, I find it a lame joke, but I sometimes wonder at the speed of MIB's brain. Do all 'computer' people think so fast? (He studies er, I forgot what, something with a computer in it la)

When we found the shop the landlord started to explain that we could write twelve cheques, one for each month, and date it for that month etc etc, and then he had to leave to help serve the customers. His shop is something like a mama shop, or like a mini ECON Mini Mart if you know what I'm referring to. It sells the usual snacks, drinks etc that mama shops sell, and then it sells canned foods, frozen food, milk, bread, magazines, newspapers, alcohol, cigarettes, birthday cards, whatever cards, and rents DVDs.

So we wrote our cheques for September's rent and waited for him to finish serving the customers. When the landlord came back and realised we had only written one cheque each, he was like, 'You can write twelve cheques blah blah blah... you understand?' This was directed at me cos I suppose the first time he mentioned that I had a quizzical look on my face so he thought I didn't understand how that worked.
MIB: I think she wants to come here and pay you every month. She wants to see you every month.
Me: ...
Landlord: *after a few seconds, realises the joke* hahaha, you naughty boy, say such things.

It was really funny LOL. That was MIB's way of stopping the continuous 'twelve cheques' thing. Nah, our landlord is a nice man, he's very sincere about touching up the paint, door etc of the house before we move in. And I know he was just trying to save us the trouble of having to go to his shop every month, or post him a cheque every month. But as MIB said later, on our way back to the university, 'Go to his shop every month also good what, every month get free drink.' Haha it's true, when we went to sign the contract he told us to grab a bottle of soft drink each on our way out, and this time he did the same thing again. But this time we didn't take any, er cos I'm trying to lose the 'winter weight', whether or not it's actually 'winter weight' is beyond me... anyway I just try.

Yep, so on the way back MIB was saying that S's jokes are even more 'cruel', as he put it. What he really meant was that S was very good at cracking jokes. And that he hasn't even cracked the more 'need to use brain' jokes yet. Alright! Bring it on man! What's better than living with two jokers who can entertain me and make my brains work at the same time. Hehe I think next year will be amusing indeed.